If you run into Terry Kovel this week, wish her a happy birthday. The Grande Dame of Antiques, as her friends at Antique Trader like to call her, turns 94 on Thursday, October 27.
Terry is one of our favorite people in the hobby, and for good reason. She and her late husband, Ralph, have long played a vital role in the understanding and the enjoyment of antiques and collectibles.
As the Grand Dame of Antiques, Terry Kovel takes the cake.
Image Photoshop by Dave Hauser/Image courtesy Kovels
The couple published their first book in 1953, Kovels’ Dictionary of Marks — Pottery and Porcelain. The title had forty-two printings. Today, after publishing more than one hundred books, writing a weekly syndicated column (since 1954!) and creating several TV shows, the Kovel name is synonymous with the field. In case you’re wondering, Terry is still going strong. With the help of her daughter, Kim, and a dedicated team in her home office in Shaker Heights, Ohio, she continues an unparalleled publishing tradition.
Married in 1950, Terry and Ralph built a lifetime of memories together, sharing their work with millions.
Courtesy of Kovels
The fifty-fifth edition of Kovels’ Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide 2023 – a 640-page wonderland of 12,500 listings and 3,150 color images – is now available and Terry remains one of the most informed and influential people in the history of the hobby.
More than four million copies of Kovels’ Antique & Collectibles have been sold.
Courtesy of Kovels
All of which begs the question: What do you give a woman who has everything, including a souvenir mustache cup she purchased as a young child while visiting Niagara Falls with her parents?
How about a round of applause for everything she has done for the hobby. Thanks Terry. And Happy Birthday.
Terry Kovel’s first collectible: a souvenir mustache cup purchased as a child during a trip to Niagara Falls.
Courtesy of Kovels
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